Subwoofer placement? (1 Viewer)

[MikWRX]

I currently have my svs sb-1000 approximately 3m front left from the main listening position as seen in the pic. Would it be better to place it where the air purifier is in the other pic (2.7m to the right and little bit in front of the main listening position). Thanks

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Personally I think it’d drive me nuts having the bass coming from the side. But, can’t hurt to try it and see what you think.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[JohnRice]

Subwoofer placement is very complex, and it's impossible to really know what's best without some extensive testing, but the current location appears that it should be fairly free of room interactions. If you wanted to add a second SB-1000, I'd try it in the corner behind the purifier.

 

[MikWRX]

My wife said no way to another sub would a pb-1000 pro be a worthy upgrade to the sb-1000? Or the Tonewinner sw-d2000?

 

[JohnRice]

My wife said no way to another sub would a pb-1000 pro be a worthy upgrade to the sb-1000? Or the Tonewinner sw-d2000?

I'm a big fan of sealed subs, especially in living spaces, due to their smaller cabinets, and some other reasons. It'd just stick with the SB-1000, unless you want to upgrade to SB-2000 or SB-3000.

BTW, honestly, if you put another SB-1000 with a wireless adapter in that back corner, you'd hardly even see it.

 

[Mike Up]

My SVS SB-2000 is like your configuration except behind my right front speaker. I have an open Foyer on the left of my front speakers and an open hallway to the side of my right speaker, leading to the back of the house. This is the best placement for my sub. I've tried pretty much everywhere in the room and I get the deepest, most accurate bass behind my right front speaker. The side walls lose the midbass, the corners lose the low bass and emphasize the upper bass. Even though corner placement is louder, it sounds like crap.

I'd say you have the best placement as is. BUT my room is a square and if yours is not, maybe other positions could be better. I also have my secondary media room subwoofer (Klipsch R-120sw) just right of the right front speaker and believe this also to be the best placement in that 'square room' as well.

Also, the SVS SB-2000 is my first sealed and can't say how much "BETTER" it sounds than any of the ported subs I've owned or heard. I honestly can't see ever going back to a ported sub. I actually almost replaced my Klipsch R-120sw with a SVS SB-1000 that was on sale for $350 but had to stop myself as I rarely use that room except when my main room is occupied. The Klipsch sounds good but nowhere near as good as the SB-2000, even with music 40Hz or above which they both reproduce with authority.

SVS actually recommended 'for me' the SB-2000 over the PB-1000 Pro as my main listening is music, but am heavily into home theater as well. My SB-2000 shakes the couch and my pants legs where the Klipsch just couldn't.

Since the main, non-pro versions are not readily available, a better upgrade, if you listen to a lot of music, may be a SB-2000 pro or SB-3000.

 

[JohnRice]

As I said, subwoofer placement is complicated. Most of all, your ears lie to you. It's true.

Bass wavelengths are extremely long, and they reflect off surfaces. They will bounce around, which causes them to cancel themselves out. For instance, a 20Hz soundwave is a little over 50ft. long. If it hits a reflection from approx 1/4 that distance away, the two will mostly or completely cancel themselves out. By the same token, they can magnify each other.

There are some general guidelines. For fairly obvious reasons, you want to avoid having the sub(s) an equal distance from two surfaces, like right in the middle of a wall. Square rooms can be especially problematic. Corner placement has benefits, because it pretty much eliminates problems from two surfaces, since they are so close. You can try to judge placement by ear, but it probably will be deceptive. Worst of all, some of these rules by their character negate others, and because something works well in one room doesn't mean it will work in another. Most people don't want to bother, so placing sub(s) roughly 2/3 of the way along one wall, or in a corner, tends to be the best bet.

There is free software that can be a huge help, if you have a notebook computer, a good microphone, and a way to send digital audio from it to your system, but it is also like going down a nearly bottomless pit to make good use of it. The proper microphones start at about $100, and you can easily use up a weekend working on it. Again, most people don't want to take it that far.

 

[MikWRX]

Here is a pic showing how the main lounge opens into the kitchen. Probably too much space for this sub. Maybe the ported would be better because of this space. The ceilings are also angled and reach 4.2m at the right side of the tv (2m at the left). This theatre setup is also 100% tv and movies)

 

[Mike Up]

What's your complete dimension for that large, open concept room? W x D x H in feet. Your previously pics were very deceptive. Looked like you had your tv on a full wall, not a backer plate/wall. You'll likely need a very expensive and large subwoofer to fill that large open concept room.

 

[JohnRice]

It really depends on what you want to achieve. It’s a living space, and maximum bass might not be realistic.